Nothing can compare

Today we went to our daughter's house to celebrate 2 years of being grandparents! Well, it was WeeMan's second birthday.

I remember the initial shock of learning our daughter was pregnant...the realization that our kids did in fact grow up no matter how much we deny it's happening. He came into this world and it was a surreal feeling...one that was much different than those feelings I had when my own children were born. I remember looking at him in that warming bed and thinking...wow, this little one is not coming home with us...his mama is our daughter but she's just not ready for this!

Oh how wrong I was. She's doing an outstanding job. This tiny helpless infant is turning into quite a little character...talking, running around like a crazy man, laughing and joking around, intelligent, and everything every grandparent says their grandkids are! He's so curious and looks so much like his mama!



The love of this little boy has grown over the last two years into something completely different then that I have for our kids. There's a whole new place that seems to have grown in my heart--a place that has been just waiting to feel this very emotion.

Watching our daughter with her little boy--she dotes on him, makes sure he's being taught properly how he should and shouldn't act, patient--doing all that a parent does while making sure he gets away with some things she knows one day she'll regret--I think like most parents do...a child's laughter, tears, puppy eyes, and sweet little hugs are enough to make even the toughest disciplinarian ease up a bit.

This little boy changed all of our lives on so many levels. He has been such a welcome addition to our family--born 9 months to the day of my father's death not to mention on the Democratic inauguration day--a significant event that P felt was my father's last joke on him. WeeMan is the apple of our eyes.

So here I sit, looking at the pictures our daughter gave us for our frames marveling and reliving the moments this little boy couldn't hardly hold his head up...sleeping on my chest, awed by the ceiling fan, learning to crawl then walk..learning to eat with a spoon...all of it seen in only brief visits. Our daughter has been so great about giving us updates, making sure we get to see him when he's learning new things--while I was able to see every waking moment with our own kids I'm also seeing much of that with our first grandson only without all the other added extras.

Ahh...2-years already...I look so forward to so many more years with him and our future grandkids. When I hear that little guy say O-Ma to me I just melt and wonder how on earth I could have been so blind to the many cherished moments that lie ahead and that I am already living. There is no love quite like it...Happy 2nd Birthday to our very special little WeeMan!

Gushing about our WeeMan...

What a day...we attended WeeMan's 1st birthday party. The poor little guy was soo worn out by the end. He slept peacefully in his aunt's arms while everyone else cleaned up or prepared to leave. I got a lot of time with him considering all the people there. It was a great party and our daughter and her fiance did a great job!

It really amazes me how very much that little guy has captured the hearts of all our kids and Pat and I. None of us can seem to get enough of him and we go round and round about who's going to hold him next even though he's completely mobile and pretty independent...and I have to say, the connection him and our son have is amazing. WeeMan didn't even care that we showed up at first today, he gave his Uncle B a big smile and waved like they were old friends.

The capability of the human heart to continue to make more and more room for yet another to love is so crazy. And no love is identical, it's all very different.

It was a bitter sweet week this week, one year of getting to know this little boy who's an extension of us, who's a part of us yet in a distant way, this little boy who has gone from a helpless little creature to a functioning little human who barely needs us to help him or hold him.

I have to say I'm turning into a doting gramma, always wondering where he's at, always waiting for his little arms to reach for me, always looking for that little grin he gives me....

There is nothing like loving a grandbaby...I always wondered what the hoopla was, thought in the beginning it was just a myth but I'm learning at a rapid speed how very different and special it is.
He definitely is a special little guy, a very precious gift that someone thought would be a perfect fit for our lives....and he is just that and then some.

Things happen for a reason in people's lives and things are not given to us that we are not able to handle....two things I am a firm believer in. The changes I've seen in myself, Patrick and our kids have been amazing...hmmmmm, how we can go through life not knowing that there are these little human beings that will suddenly exist one day and that will affect every part of our person is such a giant leap...Our four kids touched places in us that we never knew we had, opened up door after door of awe and wonder...now that one of them has given us something else new, we are faced once again with a new adventure that changes so much.

Life has been quite an experience around here for the last year and a half. Happy and sad, tragic and miraculous, stressful and exciting--sometimes it's feels so overwhelming but many other times it's just so damn wonderful!

And the little man speaks!

Ok, so it'll be baby blog for awhile, can't help it.....feels good to have a GRANDSON! LOL

I was sent this photo by 'baby's daddy' last night at about 1:00am. It's a proud moment for me....even if he's not my own child, he carries a part of me. I showed this pic off to all at work today and am very proud of it.

And I would like to add, there are some who have given us the business about his birth being on inauguration day...I mentioned that in my first post of him...I would like to point to this photo particularly and let you know what our little grandbaby has to say to all of you Democrats as well as those who find it funny that he was born on that historical day.....Baby A's response caught in action:

The boy who will change our world

Inauguration day or not, Pat and I are officially grandparents now.....OMG! And in defense of his birth day, by looking at this picture this little guy looks none to happy with it.

Our daughter is in good shape although quite exhausted. It was a grueling day for the poor thing....not to mention she's been having contractions for the last 3 weeks, been in and out of the hospital hooked up to monitors, was only going on about 3 hours of sleep the past 2 nights, being told they would induce her or break her water only to be told a couple hours later that they decided not to and then sent home....frustration, anger, irritation...I know how I feel, I cannot imagine how much worse these empty promises were for her and her fiance. Couldn't be more proud of them for the hell they've endured only to deliver this pretty little boy.

The little guy, cute as a button. Sadly we didn't get to hold him because he was under the heating lamp. So we oohed and ahhed for about a 1/2 hour and left the kids to do what they needed to do before they abruptly halted all visitors at 7:30 so they could try to get some much needed rest.

Baby A cried, hung his lip, tried to eat his fist, opened his eyes....did all that baby stuff and in the end, the deepness of the love I feel for this little one is indescribable. It's much different being on this side of things. He was born at 4:01pm, is 21 inches long, weighed in at 7lbs. 15 ozs., and all his fingers and toes are there.

Of course we did try to coerce our daughter into naming him Barack Hussein T. but she would have none of that. Naming him after his grandpa has been her priority since she discovered she was pregnant. Oddly enough, today marks exactly 9 months to the day since my father passed away....I was thinking, scary thing really......since my dad LOVED to poke fun at Pat so much about being a Republican that perhaps, somewhere out there, he is once again playing one of his jokes.....one of his great grandchildren was born on this very day, the swearing in of a Democrat and that laughter has been ringing in my ears all day today.......

Congratulations to my wonderful daughter and B for bringing such a blessing into our family! And Baby A? Welcome to the world.......it is you who will change our world forever!